The god of This Present Evil World

Greetings, a servant of God, by the grace of God, teaching the truth of God under the authority of Jesus Christ to any who are willing to receive it. (Mat 13:43).

The Holy Bible contains the truth of God by the word of God (Joh 17:17); therefore, God teaches and gives understanding, wisdom, and knowledge to all who pray and seek Him with all the heart (Deu 4:29-31; Jer 29:12,13; Psa 119:2).

The story of the god of this present evil world begins in the garden, where the LORD first declares enmity between the serpent and the woman (Genesis 3:15). Revelation later identifies this serpent as Satan, the one who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9). From that first moment of opposition, Scripture traces his ongoing work against mankind - subtle at first, then open, shaping the course of this present evil world through deception, accusation, and counterfeit authority. Yet his end is certain. Revelation shows his downfall in stages: cast out of heaven, bound and sealed in the abyss, and finally cast into the lake of fire where his rebellion ends forever. This teaching follows his thread from beginning to end, beginning with the first declaration of enmity and ending with his final demise.

The Serpent’s First Opposition to Mankind

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die:

Gen 3:5 For God does know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Gen 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are you?

Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Gen 3:11 And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat?

Gen 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Gen 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life:

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

Genesis introduces the serpent in symbolic form, presenting a real moment in human history through the same narrative method Christ later uses in His parables: a visible figure carrying an unseen spiritual reality. The serpent speaks, reasons, and contradicts the LORD, revealing that this is no creature of instinct but the adversary himself, later identified plainly as Satan, the deceiver of the whole world (Revelation 12:9). The form is symbolic, but the conflict is real. Through the serpent’s subtle question, the woman is drawn into doubt, showing the adversary’s method from the beginning - quiet distortion leading to open disobedience. The narrative uses the serpent as the outward image of the inward influential enemy, just as Christ would later use a sower, a vineyard, or a shepherd to reveal deeper truths. When the man and woman fall, the rupture between mankind and the LORD is immediate, and the adversary’s work is exposed through the parable‑like structure of the scene.

In the judgment that follows, the LORD speaks directly to the serpent, not as an animal but as the personal adversary behind the symbol. The curse is expressed in the same layered way parables function: outward imagery revealing inward reality. The serpent is cast down, representing the adversary’s humiliation, and enmity is declared between the serpent and the woman, and between his seed and her seed (Genesis 3:15). This is not zoological language but the language of kingdoms, loyalties, and spiritual lineage. The promise that the woman’s seed will crush the serpent’s head is the first prophetic announcement of the adversary’s defeat, expressed through the symbolic figure of a final seed as the Son of Man - Jesus the Christ of God. Genesis 3 thus establishes the pattern: a real adversary revealed through symbolic form, opposing mankind from the beginning, and destined for final destruction as later shown in Revelation.

The Adversary in the Heavenly Court

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil?

Job 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?

Job 1:10 Have not you made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? you have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

Job 1:11 But put forth your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.

Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Job reveals the adversary no longer in symbolic form, as in the garden, but openly and plainly. The scene unfolds in the heavenly court, where the sons of God present themselves before the LORD, and the adversary comes among them. This moment shows that he has not yet been cast down to the earth, for he still has access to the heavenly realm and still functions in his ancient role as the tempter and accuser. His method is unchanged from the garden: he questions the LORD’S words, challenges the integrity of His servant, and seeks to undermine the relationship between the LORD and His creation.

The adversary’s accusation against Job is not based on truth but on suspicion, revealing his nature as the one who deceives and distorts. He claims that Job’s righteousness is only the result of the LORD’S protection, and he presses for permission to strike at Job’s possessions and lifestyle to prove his point. The LORD grants limited permission, placing boundaries around what the adversary may do, showing that even before his casting down, his power is neither equal to the LORD’S nor independent of Him. The adversary departs to carry out his destructive intent, revealing the same subversive hostility toward mankind that first appeared in the garden.

Outcome

The adversary’s attack devastates Job’s possessions and kills his sons and daughters, yet Job does not curse the LORD. Instead, he worships, declaring that the LORD gives and the LORD takes away. This outcome exposes the adversary’s lie and reveals that genuine righteousness does not depend on earthly blessing. It also shows that the adversary’s accusations are groundless, and that his power, even in this early era before his expulsion from heaven, is strictly limited by the LORD’S command. This manifestation prepares the way for the next appearance, where the adversary again seeks to destroy but is again restrained by the LORD’S sovereign boundaries.

Satan’s Provocation of David

1Ch 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

1Ch 21:2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

1Ch 21:3 And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?

1Ch 21:4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

1Ch 21:5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.

1Ch 21:6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

1Ch 21:7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.

1Ch 21:8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.